The Fourth Halfling
by Harthad
Summary: An Alternate Universe story revolving around Pippin who is captured by Sauron. :o


**THE FOURTH HALFLING**

"Get me some bread you filthy halfling!" an orc shouted at the smallest person in Barad-Dur.

Peregrin stumbled over to the table where last night's bread was and gave it to the orc. He sniffed it, picked out a maggot and stuffed the whole hunk into his mouth. His partner, Gristle, threw a chicken leg at Peregrin who easily dodged it.

"Get me some too before I eat you raw." said Gristle.

"Er. . . " said Peregrin. "There's no more left."

Gristle trundled over and stuffed his face into Peregrin's.

"Well then you'll do just fine." he said.

Peregrin stood stock still, waiting.

"Gristle, ya can't threaten the master's own boy. Back off."

Gristle did back off, which was unusual because he never listened to orders from an orc.  
Peregrin turned around and saw one of the Witch-King's messengers standing in the tower doorway.

"Master says that I'm to bring the halfling to him straight away." the nasel voice rasped.

He left the tower leaving Peregrin rooted to the floor. Peregrin had never been to see the master, let alone come to his tower. He had always been living in this tower with Gristle and the other orc. But he did remember a bright green country, with flowers and the sun. He wished he could visit that place again to find out who he was. His only memory of that place was his name.  
Peregrin Took.

Peregrin trudged up the stairs to get to the tower where the Master was. He opened the door with a creak and slowly poked his head around the door.

"Come in, Peregrin." the Witch-King said.

Peregrin bowed low in front of the Witch-King. He beckoned for Peregrin to stand up and sit by him.

"Pergrin, I have called you here to do a special service for me."

Peregrin grinned. He was never ever asked to do special services.

"What, milord? What do I have to do?"

"Peregrin, you are being released from your tower today to complete this task. Do you remember the Dark Lord's Ring?"

Peregrin nodded.

"Someone stole it from him. A halfling, like you by the name of Baggins."

Peregrin frowned.

"But why don't we just ask him to give it back, milord?"

The Witch-King laughed.

"Peregrin, you are forgetting the tale of how I rescued you from your people. Your people are monsters;they yearn for dark, unspeakable things that only the darkest beings would like. You were imprisoned by a wizard, Old Graybeard was his name. I rescued you and brought you here so you may be safe. No, Peregrin, the one who has stolen the Ring means to destroy us. He will not be nice and just hand it over. You must get the Ring back and bring it to the Dark Lord."

The Witch-King stared at Peregrin long and hard.

"There will be many foes on your quest. To keep you from believing these lies that people say I will-"

"But Master, I will never believe these lies. I have been trained long and hard."

The Witch-King sighed, impatient.

"Peregrin, do not interrupt. I will establish a mind link so I can give you advice while you travel. I am not saying that you are weak and wont be able to resist, but the elves are very skilled in sorcery and they will do anything to make you do what they want. To invoke this mind link, I will call aloud your true name."

Peregrin stood up and closed his eyes and waited.

"ANGAYASSE ANTUULIEN!"

He screamed as if in pain and sank to the floor.

Far away in The Shire, Frodo Baggins heard Peregrin's scream as clearly as if it was his own.

**A Quest of his Own **

Two months later, Peregrin trudged through the wilderness thinking of what the Witch-King said.

_If my people were murderers, how come I'm different?_

_Maybe the Witch-King is lying. ._

_He can't be lying, he never lies._

_How do you know he hasn't changed?_

With that thought in mind, he gazed up at the sky, wondering if the Master was going to come on his Fell Beast or his horse.

Gazing up at the sky was a big mistake. He halted before an elf dressed in silver garb who had an arrow at his throat.

"Hi. . Just passing through. . .what is this place?" Peregrin mumbled.

The arrow was raised a little higher.

" Who are you? You wear the livery of the Black Tower, yet you are no taller than a dwarf." the elf questioned.

Peregrin was confused.

"What black tower? I came from that glowing green tower where all the Nazgul live. And I'm a halfling, not a dwarf."

The elf gasped in surprise. He hadn't known that a halfling would know about the Nazgul, the Black Riders or of Cirith Ungol.

"I know not what your intentions may be, or who you are, but the rule for all newcomers, regardless of shape and size, is that you must come to see the Lady of the Golden Wood."

"So this place is the Golden wood?" asked Peregrin as he journeyed with the elf.

"Yes, fair Lothlorien, we call it."

They came to a clearing in which stood the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn.

"We heard news of your arrival and decided to meet you here." the Lady said. To Peregrin, her voice was like the sound of a clear brook, or a leaf falling gently.

He didn't quite know what it was but he felt he needed to trust whatever she said. Despite what the Witch-King said, he felt that elves could be trusted and even obeyed.

Lady Galadriel swept over to Peregrin and said,

"Young one, you know not of the great task that a halfling like you has been called upon to do. Your task, I know, is similar but instead of evil intent. With bringing the Ring back to your master, the Dark Lord, you will destroy Lothlorien. You will destroy the beauty of this world, including your homeland, The Shire."

Peregrin was shocked. The Lady knew about that green country, the one that he knew about only in memories. She knew what it was called which was better than what he would have known had he not traveled out of Mordor.

Then the mental link that the Witch-King founded in him came to life.

_"Angayasse Antuulien, why do you believe these lies? They are fool's talk, nothing more. With the Ring, the Dark Lord will make the world into a realm of light and even more beauty than there is here. Do not believe these mind-addled elves."_

**Orcs**

Peregrin was troubled. It had been three weeks since he had fled from Lothlorien and he had begun to see mountains in the distance. However was he going to get over those? His steps had begun to get weary, and he thought he saw a big black tower looming before him. There were great trees surrounding it but even as he admired their strength and beauty, one of them toppled over with a loud groan. There were dark, dense shapes shouting and destroying the trees.

Orcs!

Peregrin gasped in astonishment because he had never seen orcs since he had left Mordor. He ran forward to see clearer and his foot snagged on a rock. He fell, his senses deserting him. But the last thing he saw before falling into unconsciousness was a giant dark bird swooping down to him with a gray-robed man on it's back.

The fragrance of fresh apples and clear, sparkling water lingered in the air as Peregrin woke up in a warm, soft bed. He breathed in the air, reveling in the sweet prospect of staying here forever.

But where was 'here'?

Peregrin looked around and saw that he was not in the only bed in the room. A boy was lying in a bed a few feet away from him and an old man was sitting in a wooden chair next to that bed. Peregrin's gaze traveled to the beauty of this place. Trees were towering outside of his room and he noticed flowers growing in a bowl on a table next to him.

**Awakening**

The old man stirred in his chair, rustling his robes.

"Ah! You're awake. I am Gandalf. Now who might you be?"

Peregrin just stared.

"Er. . . I'm Peregrin. Peregrin Took."

Gandalf's eyes widened for a moment as if he remembered something.

"Are you a hobbit?"

Peregrin was confused.

"What's that?"

"Imagine that! A hobbit who doesn't know he's a hobbit!" Gandalf muttered to himself.

"I'm a halfling, I know that. The Witch-King told me."

Gandalf laughed. "The Witch-King! The Witch-King! Now how would a hobbit like yourself know about the Witch-King?"

Peregrin's face was deadpan serious.

"He invited me to lunch."

"What? He invited you to-"

Gandalf's face changed instantly.

"You can't be serious."

"Why don't you believe me? The Witch-King told me he knew everyone and everyone knew him."

Gandalf's frown appeared.

"My young boy, is what you say true? That you have been in the service of the Witch-King?"

Peregrin was about to knod his head yes but the mental link flashed to life.

_"Angayasse Antuulien, why do you trust this old man? He claims to be called Gandalf, but I know better. This is the wizard who captured you when you were young, Old Graybeard his name is. Do not tell him anymore about me, or your mission."_

What Gandalf saw as Peregrin was receiving orders from the Witch-King was Peregrin shaking uncontrollably, his eyes turning black. He recovered as Gandalf reached for his staff.

"You! You captured me? Why did you do that, huh, Old Graybeard? The Witch-King has been the nicest person I ever met! Why wouldn't he invite me for lunch?"

"STAY THIS MADNESS!"

Peregrin cowered against his bed as Gandalf towered above him.

"Young one, you are mislead. It was not I who captured you, but the Witch-King."

All the lies and truths in Peregrin's head jumbled together so what came out of his mouth was a seemingly meaningless babble.

"But how. .I mean. . The Shire. . .Old Man. . .No. . .green. . .with flowers. . .The Ring. . . how. . .did it get lost. . . .No. . .no. . ."

He curled up into a ball as the truth of what Gandalf told him hit home.

"All my life I've been fed lies. . . . Why shouldn't you be any different?"

He looked up, his tear-filled eyes staring straight into Gandalf's.

"Misery Returned. . . that's what I am."

Peregrin fled the room.

**Five Months Later **

Frodo huddled closer to Sam as they rested for a bit climbing up Mount Doom. His heart was beating fast after the encounter at Cirith Ungol. His thoughts reached out to Gollum and where he was or if he was even alive. His thoughts wandered to that strange hobbit, Peregrin, who was in the service of the Dark Lord. No one ever knew his true intentions, or why he had fled Rivendel and never was seen again. Frodo sometimes heard someone yelling in his dreams, someone with a very hobbit-like voice. . . .

Aragorn, Gandalf, Merry, Legolas and Gimli were rallying the troops, ready for an attack at the Black Gate.

"There may come a day when the courage of men fails, an hour of wolves before the Age of Men comes crashing down- but it will not be this day! THIS DAY WE FIGHT!"

"YAH!" cried the soldiers.

They marched to the Black Gate, their mighty king in front. When they reached the Gate, the big, black, obsidian doors opened with a loud creak.  
Two figures stepped out, one very short and the other tall and ugly.  
Gandalf, Aragorn, Merry, Legolas and Gimli rode up to meet them.

"I am the Mouth of Sauron. Is there anyone in this rout with authority to treat with me? Or indeed, with wit to understand me? Not thou, at least!" the Mouth mocked, turning to Aragorn with scorn.

"I have the wit to understand you, you big ugly brute! Stop ridiculing my king and his friends. They deserve no more than they already have."

The smaller figure bowed to Aragorn and said,

"Forgive him, Aelfwine Elvea, Elf-friend Star-like. He knows not of the courtesy some people would like."

Aragorn stared at the short being. How would this person know his name?  
The short person turned to Gandalf.

"And you, Enwina Atan, Old Man, I am sorry for the trouble I have caused you. Oh yes, I have seen you, murmuring and muttering to yourself of what you could have done for me, to make me understand. But no one could have done better."

Gandlaf, like Aragorn, stared at the shorter being. He looked awfully familiar.  
The short person stared back, then sighed.

"Oh, come on now Enwina Atan, Gandalf, don't you know who I am?"

When no reply came, he walked up to Merry.

"Erda Eket, Deserted Sword, I should have been at your side all these years, trying to be the hobbit I would have been if not for the Witch-King. I am sorry for that."

While the hobbit was saying all this, the Mouth of Sauron had tensed up, annoyed with Peregrin for being so nice. It was time to teach him a lesson. A hard lesson.  
The Mouth of Sauron lifted up his arm and swung it across Peregrin's head sending him crashing to the dirty, dusty, mud cracked barren ground.

**Conclusion**

Merry was very confused by this point. Who was this hobbit?

Then the Mouth of Sauron hit the hobbit sending him to the ground, and Merry knew who he was. Merry lunged for the Mouth and stabbed him straight through the leg.

"ARGGG!" yowled the Mouth.

"That's for Pippin!" yelled Merry who ran away from the Mouth with Gimli and Legolas on horseback.

To finish it off, Aragorn swiped off the Mouth's head with no remorse. He then picked up the young hobbit and escorted him to where the soldiers were.  
Peregrin woke up beside Merry.

"You. . .called me Pippin."

"Yeah. Now you know who you were meant to be. Oh and, by the way, I found these letters yesterday. They're signed 'P'."

"I. . .I wrote them. When I was in my tower. But how. . .how did you find them?"

"I don't know. They simply were there in my room in Gondor yesterday. Maybe Gandalf had something to do with it."

That day, the day Sauron was destroyed, Peregrin fought alongside Merry as bravely as Aragorn. He fought to end his master's reign and he fought for what would have happened if he had been a normal hobbit. He said this once to Merry,

"I don't really know what would have happened if the Witch-King had not visited the Shire that day when I disappeared from there. But maybe, just maybe, things would have not turned out so bad."

And we all know they didn't.


End file.
